The Daily Kos & The Summit County Voice – 2014-11-20 00:25:10
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/17/1345551/-Congress-Commits-an-Act-of-War-Against-the-Great-Sioux-Nation
The Commercial TransCanada Doesn’t Want You to See!
Raymond Kirk Ramos / YouTube
(March 8, 2014) — via West Coast Native News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WestCoastNativeNews
‘We are a sovereign nation and
we are not being treated as such …
We will close our reservation borders to Keystone XL’
Congress Commits an Act of War Against the Great Sioux Nation
Doctor Jazz / The Daily Kos
(November 17, 2014) — When Congress voted to approve the Keystone Pipeline they committed an act of war against the Great Sioux Nation. Apparently they completely forgot to check with the Sioux who live on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, who in February adopted tribal resolutions opposing the Keystone XL project. Or maybe Congress didn’t forget but rather chose to ignore them.
Of course the US government has hardly ever taken Native American concerns seriously, so it would be a surprise if that happened now, but Rosebud Sioux (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) Tribal President Scott said his nation has yet to be properly consulted on the project, which would cross through tribal land. Concerns brought to the Department of Interior and to the Department of State have yet to be addressed, he said in a statement.
Congress apparently also neglected to consider possible legal issues like, I don’t know, maybe a treaty or two.
The proposed route of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline crosses directly through Great Sioux Nation (Oceti Sakowin) Treaty lands as defined by both the 1851 and 1868 Fort Laramie Treaties and within the current exterior boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
Tribal president Scott articulated the position of his people quite clearly.
“The House has now signed our death warrants and the death warrants of our children and grandchildren,†Scott said. “We are outraged at the lack of intergovernmental cooperation. We are a sovereign nation and we are not being treated as such. We will close our reservation borders to Keystone XL. Authorizing Keystone XL is an act of war against our people,†he said.
Oh, snap!
But wait! The borders of a sovereign nation have never really been an impediment to the ambitions of oil companies and their bought and paid for U.S. government representatives. Until, perhaps, now. This seems like a problem that won’t be going away anytime soon.
It gives President Obama all the more moral and legal authority to veto the project if and when it is approved by both houses. And if there happen to be enough turncoat Democrats to override a veto then surely the issue will be taken up in court, probably all the way to the SCOTUS, where it would be hard to imagine Roberts wanting to soil his legacy any further by breaking a treaty with a sovereign nation. I can’t wait to see how this all plays out.
I end this diary with the words of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate Tribal President Scott of the Great Sioux Nation.
“The Lakota people have always been stewards of this land. We feel it is imperative that we provide safe and responsible alternative energy resources not only to tribal members but to non-tribal members as well. We need to stop focusing and investing in risky fossil fuel projects like TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. We need to start remembering that the earth is our mother and stop polluting her and start taking steps to preserve the land, water, and our grandchildren’s future.â€
Tue Nov 18, 2014 at 11:17 AM PT: Thank you all for so many recommends and all the great comments. There are a couple dozen that add valuable content to this debate. Please read the comments.
South Dakota Native Americans Describe House Vote
On Keystone XL Pipeline as an ‘Act of War’
Bob Berwyn / Summit County Voice
(November 15, 2014) — Conservation groups and climate activists aren’t the only ones hopping mad about the Congressional rush to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Native Americans in South Dakota say they consider last week’s House vote to approve the pipeline “an act of war.â€
There’s Been HOW Many Pipeline Spills
In Alberta in The Last Four Months?
Gwennedd / Daily Kos
(November 17, 2014) — Alberta, Canada is basically a petro state. Oil and gas production rule everything and it’s happening everywhere in the north of the province. Pipelines criss cross most of Alberta. As a result, leaks of wells, facilities and pipelines are a constant thing all over the province.
But we Canadians almost never hear about them. Our main media, CBC, does not provide any coverage of the many, many spills and gas releases that happen every month, nor the efforts to clean up the messes. They’re simply not considered news…at least not on the scale of disasters like some attention grabber showing up at the War Memorial on Remembrance day in uniform and bedecked with medals..none of which (uniform included) belonged to him. The guy is under arrest for impersonating an officer.
But back to the non news. It seems someone is taking notice. West Coast Native News (WCNN) has been quietly keeping tabs on all the spills and leaks. What they have found is shocking!!
More past the toxic orange spill … careful you don’t get any on your shoes!!
CEO of TransCanada Concedes Just
50 Permanent Jobs from Keystone XL Pipeline
Mugsy / The Daily Kos
(November 17, 2014) — Seeming overlooked during yesterday’s (11/16/14) interview on ABC’s “ThisWeek”, Russ Girling, current CEO of “TransCanada”… the company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline… conceded a claim by Reuters last year that, once constructed, the Keystone XL would produce as few as “FIFTY permanent jobs.”
But, he went on to argue, that the number did not take into account the nearly “9,000 temporary construction jobs” or the estimated “42,000 ‘indirect’ jobs (from new businesses along the construction route).”
Seriously? These are the “jobs, jobs, jobs†Republicans have been promising? The very thought that this country may risk certain environmental disaster to create fewer jobs over TWO years than it needs every TWO weeks just to keep up with population growth, is unfathomable. Tell me we’re not being ruled by people THAT dumb!
Remember when supporters of the pipeline were claiming as many as “one MILLION new jobs?” (pinky to corner of mouth.)
Worse, construction of the pipeline will produce an economic dead zone along it’s 1.200 mile route… half of which has ALREADY BEEN BUILT. Steel pipe for the pipeline has ALREADY BEEN PURCHASED FROM INDIA, so there are no jobs to be gained there either.
I’ve been reporting on the nonsense surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline for years now and see looming disaster on the horizon as Congress foolishly considers approving this White Elephant all in the name of possibly helping out one DINO Democratic Senator (Mary Landrieu) who… two weeks after Democrats suffered huge losses by conceding their opponent positions on the issues… still thinks agreeing with her opponent on the #KXL is her path to victory.
Have we learned NOTHING?
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